Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which a person frequently stops breathing during the sleep cycle as the tongue periodically collapses the upper airway to constrict the flow of air therein. Although the prevalence of OSA in the United States is estimated to be 3-7% in men and 2-5% in women, in some populations (e.g., obese patients with a body mass index greater than 28%) the prevalence increases dramatically. In addition, up to 93% of women and 82% of men having moderate to severe OSA may go undiagnosed for many years if at all due to diagnostic limitations of the currently known methods.
Sleep studies designed to detect and diagnose OSA often occur at a sleep study center using polysomnography (PSG). However, PSG involves hooking a patient up to many wires during the sleep period, which may interfere with the sleep cycle and thereby increase the difficulty of diagnosis. Portable PSG units are known and further designed to reduce PSG complexity but still rely on delayed physiological responses after an airway closure has occurred. Endoscopic techniques are known that are aimed at monitoring breathing and snoring during the sleep cycle. However, such techniques may still require cumbersome equipment to monitor airflows within the upper airway and further lack a means for detecting a sleep position, especially in a remote environment where a trained professional is not present to observe the sleep cycles.
The inventor has recognized disadvantages with the approaches above and herein discloses a wearable hollow nasal tube to be positioned in an upper airway above a constriction point that comprises an end imaging sensor coupled to the nasal tube to collect airway image data; and a controller and communication interface to communicatively link and relay the airway image data during sleep to a select remote device to determine airway obstructions. In one embodiment, the device further comprises an inflatable balloon to anchor the nasal tube such that the end imaging sensor, which is placed at a distal end of the nasal tube, is disposed in an airway image data collection position. Thereby, the device may be positioned within a nasopharnyx above the constriction point with the end imaging sensor angled downward relative to a nose opening, which allows for enhanced viewing of the airway. As described herein, the device may further include one or more biophysical sensors for the enhanced detection of airway patency during OSA screening and diagnosis while an air sampling port configured for monitoring airflow and performing air analysis (e.g., capnography) while visual images of the upper airway are collected may also be included. The device may advantageously further include a head positioning sensor for detecting a device orientation relative to a head position, which allows airway patency to be correlated to sleep positions during sleep studies. Therefore, by placing the nasal tube and end imaging sensor above the point of airway constrictions, breathing patterns can be monitored during sleep without interfering with sleep cycles while the device records and communicates with a remote computing device connected via a network connection. In this way, the device and methods described can be used to advantage for diagnosing OSA by directly imaging the airway, particularly in response to a sleep position, and especially when sleep activities occur remotely.
As provided herein, in some examples, sleep studies using the disclosed device and systems thereof may be performed in a first location while one or more breathing patterns are remotely analyzed in a second location simultaneously or subsequently, which allows for real-time or early diagnosis of sleep abnormalities in a more convenient manner for both the patient and healthcare professional. For example, a patient may perform the sleep study in the comfort of their own home at night in the U.S. while observations are made and results of the sleep study are analyzed during the day in China (or other locations), or vice versa. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the device may include a clock or timing device, which allows recorded measurements to be time-stamped and thereby synchronized for further data analysis of sleep patterns.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.